Aussie kids love their smartphones but there's a lot for parents to be wary of

By Bessie Hassan| 2 weeks ago

Smartphone ownership among children is growing rapidly, and it’s estimated that there are over 690,000 kids with smartphones across the country. New research from finder.com.au reveals 17 per cent of Aussie kids aged 12 and under have a smartphone, which isn’t that surprising given that this generation has spent their entire lives around them.

Deciding when to let your kids have a smartphone can be a challenge – but it’s a decision more and more parents are having to make. According to the new survey, some children as young as four – four! – already have their own smartphone. The average age for a child getting his or her first phone is just 7. For me, personally, I’m hoping to hold off until my two kids start high school though my eldest, at 8-years-old, is persisting every week!

We are seeing younger and younger children using smartphone devices, and this raises all sorts of issues around cyberbullying and screen addiction as well as concerns around unexpected bills.

Deciding when to let your kids have a smartphone can be a challenge. (iStock)

Ultimately, making a decision regarding whether to give your child a smartphone could come down to whether you think your child is mature enough to manage a phone. Interestingly, the research shows if a family’s eldest child has a phone, the subsequent children are likely to get a smartphone much younger.

Families are busy these days and there’s a bit of a consensus that safety and convenience are the main reasons for giving a child a smartphone since smartphones let parents stay connected to their kids when they are away from home.

If you do decide to give your child a smartphone, perhaps the most important thing you can do is set boundaries from day one. No parent wants a child who is glued to their phone 24/7 and seemingly unable to function without it. As they grow older, the art of managing their smartphone usage will become harder, which is why it’s important to set limits while they’re young so they will develop good phone habits. Setting a daily screen time limit and using parental controls to protect them from harmful content are good starting points.

It's important to set boundaries from day one. (iStock)

You will also need to decide if you will pay the phone bill, what kind of plan your kids will be on and how you will manage their data usage. Opting for a prepaid plan over a postpaid one allows you to have more control over how much data your kids use and will help you avoid any unexpected expensive bills. Parents – particularly parents of young children – should set restrictions to limit what their children can access on their new smartphones, including the apps they can download.

Children need to be taught how to use smartphones responsibly, and we owe it to them to lead by example and practice what we preach.